Acts 9:4-5

Falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” “Who are You, Lord?” he said. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” He replied.

Saul had never encountered Jesus. He only knew that those who followed Him were a threat and a nuisance to the teaching and traditions of the Jews. A respectable Pharisee himself, his passion for what he considered to be justice drove him to persecute any who followed Jesus and proclaim them as heretics and blasphemers. Faithful to his cause, he sought to destroy and even murder the disciples of Christ. He was faithful to his belief system and doing what he knew to be right, according to everything he had been taught all of his life. God saw a faithful servant in Saul and decided to convert him to use his passion to lead people to Christ. Thus, He sent Jesus – already risen from the dead and ascended to the throne of heaven – to speak directly to Saul and reveal Himself to him.

While Saul was trying to kill the spreading of the gospel, Jesus was trying to kill the lie within Saul by revealing the truth to him. The only way Saul would ever believe the gospel was through a real encounter with Jesus because those who gave testimony to Him had no credibility in Saul’s eyes. Jesus, however, knew just how to get his attention and transform him into a new creation and, perhaps, the most powerful witness of Himself this world has ever known. If Jesus could change Saul, He can change anyone or anything!

When things seem hopeless, or the cause of Christ is threatened in your life in some way, ask Jesus to reveal Himself. Sometimes even Christians become so passionate about furthering a particular cause that they lose sight of the main cause, which is Christ Himself. If all of us could take the passions that drive us and direct them to Christ and furthering His kingdom, we’d have heaven on earth instead of the chaos we see right now. Jesus may have to give us blinders to the world as He did for Paul in order for us to see Him in all His glory and understand for once just who He really is to us.

Saul received a change of direction when his plans were interrupted. If God has interrupted your plans, He is changing your direction, too. If everything seems dark and uncertain, follow Saul’s example and obey Jesus’s instructions. Take one step at a time, while fasting and praying. Let others God has placed around you lead you when you cannot see for yourself, and wait for what God has to say to you. An interruption and change in direction is well worth what it takes to get on the right path with God, but a personal revelation of Jesus Himself is priceless!

Have a blessed day!

Isaiah 55:3

Pay attention and come to Me; listen, so that you will live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, the promises assured to David.

God is speaking to His people through Isaiah with a message to turn to Him. His words still ring true to us in every threatening situation we face. He urges us to “Pay attention and come to Me.; listen, so that you will live.”

Our earthly journey is one of storms, trials, pitfalls, and potential disaster lurking all around. Any gospel that promises you a happy life, free from difficulty, threat, or loss, is not a true gospel. Satan prowls this earth as a roaming lion, just seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). His attacks are not usually head-on. They begin through enticement and work gradually until you are caught. His greatest tool against you is temptation, and it works best at your weakest point. God urges us to pay attention and come to Him during those times so that temptation will not take us where we should not go.

God promised David an everlasting covenant. In this Davidic covenant, He promised a kingdom and a throne that would last forever. This promise was fulfilled in Christ. Any temptation you face can be thwarted in Christ. Pay attention and turn to Him. Listen to Him so you will live. Your promises in Christ are not the absence of temptation but the victory over it. Living the Christian life does not mean you are free from trials or storms but that you overcome them. God has a wonderful plan for you, and the Devil has a plan to stop it or derail it. Pay attention, turn to Him, and listen so you may fully experience God’s fullness and enjoy the plan He has for you. Settling for less disqualifies you from God’s best.

Have a blessed day!

Psalm 119:24

Your decrees are my delight and my counselors.

When we make God’s decrees – the truth of His word – our delight, they will guide us throughout life. A good counselor will not tell you what to do. He will ask questions to help you discover your inner feelings and beliefs, but he will never tell you what decision to make. You are responsible for your own decisions and how you respond to things.

To meditate on God’s word is to ponder that word throughout the day and think of what it says to you. You can apply any verse to your life to see how it relates to your personal experience. While it was written long ago, the Bible is still the primary way God speaks to us today. When you meditate on His word and apply it to your life, it will help you make the right decisions in life.

Ultimately, you are responsible for your own actions, decisions, and emotions. God’s decrees will help you act and respond appropriately in any circumstance.

Delight yourself in God’s word today, and meditate on the word He has for you each day. He knows what you are facing right now and what awaits you just down the road. He will send you the word you need to resolve your past, settle your present, and prepare you for the future. He is the Wonderful Counselor and Mighty God, and He is waiting to speak to you today.

Have a blessed day!

Exodus 25:30

Put the bread of the Presence on the table before Me at all times.

As God gave instructions to build the temple, He instructed them to prepare a table before Him. When the priest came before Him, he was to have 12 loaves of bread on the table to represent the 12 tribes of Israel. This bread was called showbread to show that the priest had been in God’s presence. The HCSB translates this as bread of Presence. The bread was not offered as a sacrifice; the priest was to eat it on behalf of each tribe. 

Jesus gave us a model prayer to pray in Matthew 6, where verse 11 instructs us to pray, “Give us today our daily bread.” We are all priests as believers. When we go before God on a daily basis, He will never leave us hungry. He feeds us with the bread of His Presence to equip us and nourish us for each day’s journey. 

The bread of Presence was to be on the table at all times. Any time and every time we experience the Presence of God, we can expect to be fed. He has an unending supply for us. We have no need to go anywhere else. In fact, if I ate 12 loaves of bread, I would be full to overflowing! This is exactly how He wants us to leave His Presence so we might take what He has given us and use it to minister to others. 

Experience the bread of His Presence today, and be full to overflowing. He has an abundant supply waiting for you at all times, and He will not allow you to leave His Presence hungry. Linger a little longer in His presence today. You’ll find Him to be both warm and satisfying!

Have a blessed day!

Isaiah 55:2

Why do you spend money on what is not food, and your wages on what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and you will enjoy the choicest of foods.

This verse is about much more than just food and money. God is speaking to Isaiah about a common concept that teaches a much deeper truth. Money and wages are our resources – the things God gives us to fulfill His calling. When we spend them on things that don’t truly satisfy, we are eating what is not good for our lives, and we are settling for much less than the very best He has for us. We may be eating grub worms for protein when He has a choice steak right there in front of us!

Two of the most important resources God has given us are our time and our attention, which are designed to work together. We can easily give someone our time without giving our full attention. When we do, we show that person that something or someone else has a greater priority with us. The relationships that grow in our lives are the ones to which we devote our time and attention, and the most important relationship we have is the one we have with Christ. When we put Him first, family second, and our calling third, we find our lives taking on a new balance as we begin to “eat what is good and enjoy the choices of foods.” God’s blessings for us come within the framework He designed for us, and when we devote time or attention to other things, it depletes us.

If you find yourself juggling too many things, stop and ask yourself if what you are doing is really a priority. Does it help build your life or deplete you? Are you giving your full time and attention to the people that mean the most to you in your life? Learn to prioritize, and trust God to handle what seems urgent outside of your proper priority. God will bless your life, but you must be present to receive it.

Have a blessed day!

Psalm 28:7-8

The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. Therefore my heart rejoices, and I praise Him with my song. The LORD is the strength of His people; He is a stronghold of salvation for His anointed.

I am guilty of trying to do things for myself. As an only parent and head of my household now, I am accustomed to doing things myself. My mother instilled a strong sense of independence in me, and I often just don’t think to ask for help. While my independence has been an asset in many regards, it has also been my downfall. There are certain things that only God can do in my life, and I must trust Him. If I’m ever going to see certain dreams realized and accomplish certain goals, I must rely upon Him to work through me. I cannot just make them happen.

In all my independence, the truth is that I’m weak in some areas – many areas, in fact. God did not equip me to do everything there is to do. He gave me certain abilities with which He intends for me to serve Him, and He did not bless me with other things. Where I have a weakness, He is able to show Himself strong. He is able to receive glory in my weakness by doing things that I cannot do for myself. He may bring someone else with the needed strength to help me, or He may choose to work a miracle of His power. In any regard, He created me with certain strengths and weaknesses so that I may worship Him and bring glory to His name. He created you the same way.

We must never forget that God is our strength and our shield. Whether we need help in a particular area or need defending, He is fully aware of our weakness and is willing and able to help. Turn to Him, and trust Him. Wherever you feel weak, learn to praise God. Turn your worry and frustration into a song of praise, and watch how your situations begin to change. God dwells in the praises of His people, and you will find strength rising from your weaknesses if you will rejoice, rather than react. Everyone can learn to praise. Whenever you find yourself worrying or complaining, begin to state or sing praises to God for His provision. Lean upon His strength wherever you are weak. His anointed is Jesus, and you are in Him if you are a Christian. God is a stronghold of salvation for His anointed, and He will be strong for you.

Have a blessed day!

Psalm 48:14

This God, our God forever and ever – He will lead us eternally.

Surrendering yourself to God means having His leadership forever, even beyond the grave. God promises to be here for us through anything we must face on earth. He will lead us into blessing and purpose, and He will lead us through difficult times that are essential. While it is appointed unto every man once to die, He will lead us through the valley of the shadow of death and continue to be our peace.

God will continue to lead us even after we leave this earth. He is our God forever, and we can count on Him to lead us beyond that which our minds cannot yet fully comprehend. The sooner we learn to seek His guidance and submit to it, the better we will be. His voice is one that will always be there for us, directing us and encouraging us in the way we should go.

If you seem lost today, you are not alone in your journey. God is with you to lead you in the right direction. He is your God forever, and He will never cease to lead you. Just keep asking, seeking, and knocking. Continue to press into Him, and He will make your way clear. Recognize His leadership in your life, and realize you really don’t have a better idea. He will lead you eternally, and He never goes in the wrong direction. Trust that where He has you today is right where you need to be, and where He is sending you is the right way to go. Rejection is direction; He has another door waiting for you somewhere. He may not show you everything that waits along your path, but He will show you the path. Take one step at a time in faith, trusting He will continue to be there to lead you as you go.

Have a blessed day!

John 20:21

Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”

These are the words of the resurrected Christ to His disciples. Just as He sent Mary Magdalene to tell her brothers, so He sent His disciples out to tell others. The whole time He spent with them was training them to believe who He was. Now that they had witnessed His life, His sacrifice, and His resurrection, they were to tell the world His story by sharing the same hope they had received.

Unless and until we have witnessed the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, we are not ready to share the gospel. We must know its truth before we can testify to it. Simply knowing of Jesus is not enough. Do you really believe He is who He says He is and can do what He says He can do? Have you witnessed His resurrection power in your life, or are you merely repeating what you have learned from tradition?

Many churches and lives are stale from second hand testimonies. Unless the power of God is at work in your own life, you have nothing to share with others. These men had witnessed that power first hand and were now ready and qualified to share it with the world.

Have you witnessed the work of the risen Savior in your own life? If not, now is the time to surrender and see where He will lead you. If so, are you sharing the news with others, or has the fire quenched within you? The disciples were gathered together waiting on direction when Jesus appeared to them. Now is the time to seek His face and to ask Him to make Himself known to you again. Ask for the anointing of His Holy Spirit to send you where you need to be. This renewed life is the reason Christ died, and it is worth living.

Have a blessed day!

Ephesians 1:18-19

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened as you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the glorious riches of His inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power to us who believe, according to the working of His vast strength.

Paul prayed that the Ephesians would come to see their place as co-heirs with Christ. God gave Jesus a double portion inheritance as the first born Son of God. Since God owns it all and is very rich, that double portion inheritance is more than our minds can fathom. We are, however, joint hers with Christ and partake of that same unfathomable inheritance. Paul wanted the Ephesians to begin to see themselves as rich in inheritance and begin to find hope in the calling God had placed on their lives.

As Christians, I’m concerned we sit back and worry about little things that really don’t amount to anything in the great scheme of our calling in Christ Jesus. If we look only at our lack and void, we will never see the wealth of our inheritance and the many things God can do in us, through us, and for us by the power of His Holy Spirit. We limit ourselves by concentrating on what we don’t have and how to get it, and we never use the things we do have that carry the power to overcome what we don’t.

Paul wanted the Ephesians to see the riches of their inheritance in Christ. I want to fully see my inheritance in Christ, and I believe you do, too. We have hope in the calling He has placed upon us, and we have power available to us if we will only believe.

My prayer today is that God would begin to enlighten our eyes to that great calling He has on us and begin to fill our hearts with hope. May He make us full with the joy of His inheritance so we may see and appreciate the abilities we have and use them for His glory. May He begin to work in us according to the immeasurable greatness of His power and the working of His vast strength.

Our greatest changes needed may not be in our circumstances but in the direction in which we are headed. A new view could do us all some good!

Have a blessed day!

Psalm 68:5-6

A father of the fatherless and a champion of widows is God in His holy dwelling. God provides homes for those who are deserted. He leads out the prisoners to prosperity, but the rebellious live in a scorched land.

When loss occurs, we have two options: we can choose to turn to God or away from Him.  The pain can be so great that we feel His hand is against us or that He is punishing us for some reason. We may suffer guilt along with the pain and feel we somehow deserve what is happening to us. We may become angry, thinking our situation is unfair and that we don’t deserve such suffering. All of these are common reactions to grief, and they leave us with a choice to cry out to God and trust Him or to rebel against Him and try to handle things through our own coping mechanisms. The choice we make at this time is critical because each option has a very different outcome.

I can honestly vouch that God has been faithful to me regarding the first sentence of this passage. My household is one of the fatherless and the widow, and God has shown Himself to be strong as a Father to my son and as my champion or defender. In fact, if the Bible had illustrations, I honestly believe our picture should go right there! I have claimed this verse regularly since my husband died, and I still stand on it today. 

God also provides homes for those who are deserted. Other translations state this promise as “sets the solitary in families,” “gives the lonely a home,” and “makes homes for the homeless.” He sets them in the context of community or family so they will have a place to belong. He connects them some place where they are a vital and functioning part of a loving and caring family of people. His will is never to leave those who have suffered loss in an isolated condition; He purposely reconnects them.

The term, prisoners, here indicates someone who is bound. We can become bound by our own sin, but God sets us free through forgiveness. He breaks the chains the enemy places upon us and leads us to a place where we can prosper by the riches of His grace toward us.  This requires turning to Him, rather than to addictive behaviors, and allowing Him to set us free from such things.

The rebellious, however, suffer a different fate. They live in a dry, barren, sun-scorched land with no relief. They continue to be bound by their sins, and their coping mechanisms of choice bring them no real comfort. Turning from God is never a solution to suffering because it only increases the pain. Real hope is found by turning to Him and finding grace sufficient to meet every need.

These verses describe who God truly is. He dwells in us through the Holy Spirit. We are His temple, and it is His will to provide for the needs of the suffering and care for those who have encountered loss. His nature is to be good to us, but we receive His grace by turning to Him. 

God allows us to go through times of suffering when He wants to bring a change to our lives.  Lifestyle adjustments are necessary for His purpose, and we might want to rebel against them. Whatever God has planned for us is good, and we can trust it. We really can’t fight His hand in the matter anyway. We simply need to trust and allow Him to make the changes in us He feels are necessary. I’ll take a defender, a family, and prosperity over a dry, sun-scorched land any day! I choose grace today, and I hope you will, too.

Have a blessed day!